Spring Break in Greece

So I just came back from an amazing ten days in Greece!!

Although we had some pretty bad travel conditions, it was so worth it for the trip.
We left last Friday morning at 6:00 AM for the airport to head out.  And by "we left" I mean "I left" because the rest of my group overslept.  I tried calling them and BBMing them for about 45 minutes before they finally woke up and miraculously made it on the plane at the last minute.  I have to say that it was one of the most stressful 45 minutes ever not knowing how to get them up but not wanting to miss the flight myself!  But we finally flew out of Barcelona and made it to Prague where we had a TWELVE hour layover until we left for Athens!  It was quite an experience in the Prague airport.  We all got a little bit crazy by the end when our flight was delayed for an hour and a half, which made it actually a 13 1/2 hour layover.  So finally we made it to Athens and got to our hostel at about 4 AM.  We slept for just a few hours and woke up early to explore Athens.  We were able to see the Acropolis, the Parthenon, and the Olympic stadium, which was all cool to see because I had heard so much about them in the past.

Although that was all cool to see, I have to admit that Athens was not my favorite city.  It was actually pretty run down.  A lot of the people, the buildings, and the streets were all dirty.  In our first hour of being out of the hostel, we stopped to get a bite to eat at an outdoor restaurant and a Gypsy came up begging us for money and food (this happens about 20 times a day in every city in Europe) but this girl took it a step too far.  After we shook our heads no and turned away, she reached down and grabbed Julia's sandwich and ate it in front of us!   We didn't really know how to react- I think we all just stared with our jaws wide open until she left and we realized what happened.  At that point we just started laughing until our sides hurt.  It was so bizarre.  

After exploring a little bit, we went to a sandal store called "The Poet".  The Poet is actually pretty famous.  He hand makes Greek leather sandals.  John Lennon has a pair, Jackie O, Barbara Striesand ... just to name a few... The shoes are so cool and his store is too.  The walls are filled with leather shoes, bags, and small things like bracelets.

We all got a pair and have been wearing them nonstop since we bought them.  The store was so busy but "The Poet" was the nicest man and gave everyone individual attention.  It was such a great experience. 

We tried to call it an early night because we had people picking us up at 6:00 AM the next day to catch our Ferry to Mykonos, but there was a Discoteca down the street and the music was so loud that it sounded like we were in the club ourselves.  So night 3 of no sleep for us!  But nothing was going to stop us from going to Mykanos the next morning.

Like I said we left at 6:00 and headed to the port to get on the ferry.  The ferry wasn't what I was expecting.  It was like airplane seating inside but a little bit bigger seats and more comfortable, and you could walk around a lot more easily.  There were restaurants and you could sit at tables and eat if you wanted.  This was a 4 hour ride, so it wasn't too bad, but we finally made it to Mykanos!

We had vans from our hotel waiting for us to take us to check in.  The people at Hotel Aeolos were so nice!  If anyone ever plans to go to Mykanos I would definitely recommend this hotel.  We were so blown away by the people here.  We got all settled in our rooms and went out to check out the city.  Unfortunately the weather was rainy, cold, and windy.  One of the reasons we wanted to go to Greece was for the weather and we were hoping to spend a lot of time on the beaches, but as 73,097,422 people told us, we came the one week that there was bad weather.  Just our luck!  But we made the best of it and still enjoyed every minute.  Mykanos was a pretty little town.  All of the buildings were bright white with blue doors and windows.  We practically walked in peoples' houses walking down to the city center.

There were several nice stores and restaurants in the city and since we were unable to go out on the beaches, we spent a lot of time in both!
I always thought I loved Greek food from eating at CHOPS (Camden House of Pizza and Subs)... which now that I typed it out doesn't sound Greek at all but besides the pizza and subs they have gyros, greek salads, and all the typical Americanized Greek food... haha... but REAL Greek food is something else!  I fell in love with tzatziki, which is like a greek yogurt and cucumber dip, which we had with pita every meal.  We ate lots of gyros, suvlaki,  greek salads, and I can't even begin to tell what else.  It was all so good and I think our days revolved around eating.

Oh yeah, the best part- one day we rented a car!  It was only 8 euros per person to rent the Hyundai i10, an itsy bitsy car with red accented interior.  It was hilarious to try to fit all 5 of us in it, and to try to drive it.  I had my drivers license stolen so I wasn't eligible (thank goodness- I haven't driven in four months so Lord knows how that would have gone!) but Julia and Ellen both took turns driving us around the island to the beaches.

It was quite the experience but so worth it.  We drove to some of the beaches on Mykanos, but like I said the weather wasn't good enough to lay out or anything so we really just drove to see them.

The next day we headed out to Santorini.  It was another 4 hour ferry ride, but again we slept most of the way.
We had a bus pick us up from the port and take us to our hotel in Fira.  They put us in what seemed like a dungeon, but our rooms were right next to each other unlike in Mykanos and they were huge! Our room had three beds so we pushed them all together to make one megabed and all 5 of us piled in from time to time to hang out, but clearly we all like our space when we sleep because everyone always ended up back in separate beds when it was time to actually sleep.  Anyway, that made it sound like we stayed in bed all week- which we didn't do!

Santorini was where the movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was filmed- so it was really cool to see the places where the scenes were shot.
Here are some pretty pictures of Santorini:

It was incredible!

One day we rode donkeys.  You may not believe me, but it was one of the most frightening things I have ever done.  We all got on donkeys attached by a rope and we had a man leading us.  We rode the donkeys down the hill, but looking back we think we would have been better off to ride them up!  They were "fighty" as Julia said and clearly didn't like us riding on them.  They would try to get off track but couldn't because they were all hooked together.  They would kick the donkey behind it and when we would go around curves, they would get so close to the edge that I was convinced I would go flying off and end up at the bottom of the mountain.  Even though we were scared out of our minds we couldn't stop laughing the whole way down.  When the man asked us if we wanted to take a ride back up, we didn't hesitate before saying "NO!".  Although it was pretty frightening, I am so glad we did it!  I will never forget riding donkeys in Santorini.

Looking a little rough in this one, but we just had a traumatic experience and it was windy!

Anyway again in Santorini we ate twice our weight in Greek food and gelato and loved every bite.

Our trip back to Barcelona took a total of 24 hours from the time we left the hotel in Santorini to the time we landed in Barcelona.  That's a lot of traveling!  We had a bus ride, an 8 hour ferry ride back to Athens, a 6 hour wait in the Athens airport, a 2 1/2 hour flight to Prague, a 4 hour layover in Prague, and a 2 1/2 hour flight back to Barcelona.  That was exhausting but one cool part was that we were in the taxi on the way to the Athens airport as it turned midnight and we were able to see several churches setting off fireworks to celebrate Easter Sunday.  Our day was so consumed with traveling that it was hard to recognize that it was Easter, but this was a cool way to recognize the holiday.

I feel like I left out so much, but my brain is so full right now that I can't really remember anything else.
I have a week left in Barcelona- actually in exactly one week to the minute I will be landing in Columbia! Ahh that is so weird- such a strange feeling!  I am so so so excited to get back and see my family and friends, but honestly I don't want to leave Barcelona!  This is the least stressed I have ever been in college exam-wise: I have 3 take home exams (what?!?) and only one difficult exam to take as opposed to 5 difficult exams at Wofford.  Needless to say, I think I'll be all right my last week.  I am really trying to take advantage of all that I can do here in my last days- taking walks around the city between classes and enjoying the Spanish culture.  Barcelona really is an amazing city and it is so weird not knowing when I will come back to the city that has given me so much in the past four months.  I hope it will be soon, but who knows? Maybe I'll be sending my own children to study abroad in Barcelona before I can visit again.  I'm hoping it won't be that long though!

I'll try and do one more blog before I leave next week to wrap it all up, but I can't make any promises- but I guess it will be so soon that I will be seeing all of y'all that I can tell you in person!

Until then,
Adios!

Beach Weekend

I had a very relaxing weekend in Barcelona.  Friday afternoon after class (we only have Spanish on Fridays!) Amy and I walked down to the beach and laid out for a little bit.  It was very relaxing and so nice!  The weather has been amazing here recently and perfect for going to the beach.  We came back as the sun was starting to fade and showered and got cleaned up before a long dinner with the family.  Jordi is very into music and technology, and we spent a lot of our dinner watching music videos on his iPhone.  He showed us some Spanish songs as well as his favorite American songs (he knows a lot of American singers and songs... actually everyone here does.  At the gym the only songs they play are American songs for the most part).  He really likes country music which is awesome because I absolutely looooveee country.  He showed us a Catalan song that sounded a lot like country which I really liked.  The kids wanted to listen to some of their favorites (also American) and even though they said that they didn't like Justin Bieber, they sang along the whole time when I convinced Jordi to play "Baby".

After dinner, Amy and I went to our favorite bar, Kennedys, which I've talked about before, for some live music.  Again, the band only played American songs which was just fine with me, but it seems like that's all they listen to over here!  Everyone in the bar was singing along and they were all Spanish people.  I guess American music is just really big everywhere.  I really do wish that I could have learned some Spanish songs while I've been here but I haven't found anyone who listens to Spanish singers.  Maybe that will be my last goal- to get my hands on some real Spanish music.

The next day we went to Sitges for the day which is a short train ride from Barcelona, and it is a really pretty gay beach.  Obviously not only gay people go there, but we enjoyed walking around the town and laying out on the beach for a few hours.  We packed lunches to eat on the beach and couldn't resist when we found a frozen yogurt shop on the way to the beach!  They are just starting to become popular over here and the man working there said they love when Americans come in because we know a lot more about the concept of frozen yogurt and they like to learn about our stores in America.
Anyway, here are some pictures of Sitges

It was a nice weekend and I really enjoyed all the beach time I had!

This week is again crazy hectic with school work.  I actually got one of my finals today!  It's a take home exam... really???  But hey, I'm not complaining!  I'll take easy where I can get it.   So after a week of presentations and papers I will head to Greece on Friday!
We are flying into Athens to spend two nights and then we will go by ferry to Mykonos for three nights, then by ferry to Santorini for three nights, then back to Athens to catch our flight back to Barcelona on Easter Sunday!  And then I really cannot believe it but that is our last week here before I fly home on May 4th!!! Ahh where did the semester go????  I don't know if I'm ready to leave yet! I feel like I still have so many things I need to see and do but there's just not time.

I hope everyone had a great Monday and that the rest of your weeks will be great too!
Adios!!

Birthday, Seville, and Justin Bieber!!!

So sorry- I have to get better at this

Anyway I left y'all last time as a young 20 year old but now you're looking at a grown up 21 year old!!
We went out for a nice fondue dinner- sooo delicious- we got two cheeses and a meat entree (I had ostrich for the first time- pretty delicious!) and for desert we had the most delicious chocolate and white chocolate fondues!  Then Amy, Brittany, and I went to George Payne's and rang in the big 2-1 with some Guinnesses.

Last weekend we went to Seville and I think it may have been my favorite trip!  It was a smaller city than all of the big cities I have visited so far, so it was really nice to be in a smaller place.  The people were all so friendly and so attractive-  All of the children were so stinkin' cute and so well dressed.  I wanted to take one home with me in my suitcase.  Our first night we met up with Ellen and her family who were visiting and they treated us to some Sangria at a cute little restaurant by the Cathedral with tables outside and underneath orange trees.  It was a great area with several restaurants similar to this and so many people just walking through the streets laughing and enjoying their evening.

Saturday we got up relatively early to explore the town.  We walked back to the area where we ate the night before and saw the Cathedral during the day.  It is the largest Cathedral in Spain and (I think) the third largest in Europe, and it was soo beautiful!

As you can see in the picture, there were horses and carriages everywhere!  Since it was the Cup weekend and I can't remember a Cup that I haven't been to, it was nice to see horses.... it kinda made up for the fact that I was missing Camden's big holiday!  

Fun fact about this cathedral, though-  Christopher Columbus' body is in there!!  Crazy.  

We then went to this beautiful park and rode a pedal cart through it.  I haven't ridden on a pedal cart since I was about 10 and let's say my legs were more used to pedaling back then... 11 years later, we were all sweating by the end, but it was definitely a fun experience

Here are some pictures of the beautiful park we drove through...

It was so nice to see all of the greenery... I feel like it's so rare to find parks like this in the big cities we have visited.  I could breathe without breathing in either cigarettes or car fumes!

This is Plaza de España... SOO pretty!!  After the pedal cart ride we went back to the hotel for a little bit and took some siestas and got ready for the night.  We headed back out and took a horse and carriage ride.  It was so nice outside and we got a great nighttime tour of the city.

We were meeting one of McCauley's friends for dinner at 10:30 so we went to a bar and waited until we were going to meet them.  They are studying in Seville so they knew a great restaurant.  We all just got a few tapas and wine and it was all delicious of course.  After dinner we went down by the river where people usually pregame before they go to the clubs.  We hung out there for a while and ended up not going to a club that night.

When we woke up the next morning to go to the airport it was rainy and cold- a big disappointment after the absolutely beautiful weather we had the day before, but it was perfect leaving weather.  We made it back to Barcelona Sunday evening and got ready for another week of school.

School has been pretty hectic recently.  We have class next week Monday-Thursday and then Friday begins our Spring Break.  After Spring Break we have Monday off, and then our first exams are on Friday.  So we have not even two whole weeks left for classes so all of our teachers are packing on the work- papers, presentations, projects.... all that fun stuff!  So school is kind of taking over my life during the week.... But not last night!!!

Last night was one of the best nights of my life.  I went to THE JUSTIN BIEBER CONCERT!!!!  If you know me at all, you know that Justin Bieber is my second favorite singer, only behind Taylor Swift.  And it's a close race.  When I found out in November that Justin Bieber was going to be here in Barcelona, I cried a little bit from excitemen.  I know, I know... but I'm a 13 year old girl at heart despite my real age.  So yesterday I skipped my last class (sorry parents but it was the first time I missed that one!!.... maybe 2nd but I have 3 absences...) and we went to George Paynes for some Nachos and Sangria... great combination, right??  And then we were on the way to the Olympic Stadium for the concert!!! We all bought t-shirts and posters and had the most amazing time

We had General Admission tickets thinking that they wouldn't be that good... but they were like floor tickets and even though we weren't front row or anything we were closer to Justin than most people who paid more were!!  I guess the concept of general admission is different in Spain than it is in America... So yeah all in all it was an amazing night!!  I'll definitely always remember it when I wear my tacky t-shirt or look at the poster that will be hanging on my wall.

This weekend Amy and I are staying here in Barcelona.  It's supposed to be around 80 degrees so you can find me on the beach... NOT leaving all weekend!!  Gotta find some sunscreen though because I burn so quickly, especially since I haven't gotten much sun since I've been here.  I'm really excited about a relaxing weekend.  And then next Friday we're leaving for GREECE!!!  So excited about that!!

See all of yall Americans in less than a month--- ahh where has the time gone???

Adios!!

Past two weeks in Barcelona

Sorry that it’s been so long since I’ve blogged!!

Unfortunately Wofford did not win in the NCAA playoffs but it was a great game and we had fun watching it and celebrating St. Patricks’ Day at my favorite bar, Dow Jones, with my favorite bartender, Helgi.  

Last weekend we stayed here in Barcelona and enjoyed a nice weekend here.  Friday afternoon Amy and I walked around the Gothic Quarters a little bit and eventually made it down to the beach on a beautiful sunny and warm afternoon.  The beaches are starting to get really full with people playing volleyball, soccer, Frisbee, and just laying out enjoying the nice weather.  On Friday night we went with Beth, McCauley, Ellen, and Julia to a Japanese restaurant, which was interesting.  Not quite the Japanese we were used to but it did the trick.  I used Saturday to catch up on some work that I needed to do and to try to heal my back, which has been hurting again…ugh… But for supper Amy and I went to eat at the Santa Catarina Market which Molly suggested to us.  It is a restaurant attached to a market that runs during the day with so many fresh fruits, vegetables, meats- everything! And at the restaurant they serve foods from the market.  The wooden walls have baskets of fruits, vegetables, and all sorts of natural decorations.  It was so delicious and fresh!

This past week was a busy one schoolwork wise.  I had two tests and a presentation and it was only a three-day week!  Sometimes I forget that I’m actually here to do schoolwork so this was quite the reminder.  We didn’t have class Thursday or Friday so we had a nice long weekend.  I actually stayed here in Barcelona by myself- everyone else was traveling- and I wasn’t originally looking forward to it.  I will admit that I was pretty homesick last weekend and at the beginning of last week and I didn’t really think that staying here by myself would be best for me.  However I was very pleasantly surprised.  I had the best weekend!  I did everything that I wanted to do and did it by myself.  It was very therapeutic I have to say J

Thursday marked a big step for me- I did not speak one word of English the ENTIRE day!!  It certainly wasn’t correct Spanish the whole time but it was only Spanish.  No English for this girl. 

I slept in and then headed to the gym around 1:00.  I had a personal training session which was pretty intense but awesome…and yes, in Spanish.  That afternoon I did a little bit of spring shopping.  I had some good luck with clothes but I also looked for some bathing suits and that was another story.  I must have tried on 20 different bathing suits in 4 or 5 different stores and they were all sooo revealing and high-cut that I would have embarrassed myself greatly if I actually wore any of them.  So I left bathing suit-less but with some other good purchases. 

Friday I did a little more exploring of the Born district which is a really cool area with a lot of restaurants, bars, and is where a lot of younger people live.  I went to the gym again, still sore from my personal training session the day before but it was another good one.  It was such a pretty day, though, that after I got back from the gym I decided to go for a run in this park in front of the Arc de Triomf.  I didn’t realize how big the park was nor did I realize all of the running paths passing through it, so it was a great discovery.  I’ll definitely go for some runs there more often.  

Saturday I decided to take the day off from exercising since (surprise!) my back still hasn’t gotten much better.  Thinking that being lazy and letting it heal would help, I stayed in bed watching The Office on my computer for a big part of the day praying that my back would heal.  When I couldn’t stand being inside anymore I took a walk down to the beach, ate a late lunch at my new favorite lunch restaurant, and walked along the port and the beach.  It was a little bit chilly with the wind on the beach but a beautiful day nonetheless.  I sat down in one of the stone chairs on the beach and people watched and enjoyed my time to myself.  I called it an early night again to help my back.

This morning we finally had daylight savings time (back to 6 hours ahead of y’all in America) and I slept in very late.  My back is better but is still a little sore from time to time so I again have been lazy today and have been getting a lot of work done… the end of the semester is creeping up on me (whaatttt???) and I have a ton of papers, presentations, and exams coming up so I have been trying to get ahead on some of that while I have time. 

Also I turn 21 on Tuesday!!!!! AHHH so I’m trying to get some homework out of the way so I can celebrate.  We have been talking about going to a fondue restaurant on Monday night and celebrating Monday night/Tuesday morning as I turn 21 because I have a presentation on Wednesday and let’s be honest I’m probably not going to make it out of bed for a while the day after I celebrate.  So I am obviously looking forward to this celebration even though I haven’t had to show an ID since I have been here… Soooo anyway hello 21!  It’s going to be a great year J

Next weekend I am going to Sevilla so I am really looking forward to that!!

But until then…

Adios!!

Last week and LONDON

I left y'all last time about to watch the Wofford game...well in case you live in a cave, WOFFORD WON!!  They beat College of Charleston and we just found out last night that the Terriers will travel to Denver on Thursday to play BYU, which is probably our best matchup compared to the other teams we would have possibly been matched up with.  So we will wait and see how it goes!!  The game is at 7:00 Eastern time and since we haven't had daylight savings time in Spain yet it will only be midnight here when it starts so hopefully we can find a sports bar playing the game!!
 GO TERRIERS!


Last Wednesday, my friend David from camp (who I visited in Brussels a few weeks ago) came to Barcelona with his mom and sister for his Spring Break.  It was so good to see him again and to meet his family!  Unfortunately I had class a lot of the time they were here but we met up for lunch both days and did a little bit of walking around together.  They did a lot of exploring on their own, too.

Then, on Friday morning I left for London!!  I made sure to get to the airport very early to make sure there were no problems with my new passport and I'm glad I did!  This airline, Easy Jet, flew out of a different terminal but within this terminal there were three (A, B, and C) and I had nothing to clarify which of the three I was flying out of!  The bus dropped me off at B and I walked into B, to A, and finally to C before I found it.  When I got in line to check in there were about 50 British 8th graders  waiting to check their bags.  After waiting in line forever and listening to middle school drama I finally made it to the counter and the lady assured me that all was well with the passport...phew... and I made it through security and finally on the plane where I had to sit next to two of these British 8th grade girls.  One of their friends came crying to them because she couldn't find her seat and her friend was being mean... so many hormones... I thought I was going to be miserable the whole flight but I actually made friends with the two girls sitting with me when we both disclosed our love for Justin Bieber and we played a few games of Hangman.  The airline was British so everything was said and written in English, which was AMAZING.  But it only got better.

When I got to the airport in London I had to buy a bus ticket to get to Central London.  The bus didn't leave for 45 more minutes so I found a DIET Coke (Not a Coke Light which doesn't taste the same that every other European country drinks...) and Ben & Jerrys Ice Cream and waited for the bus to come.  It was the best wait I've had in a while :)
When the bus finally came, our bus driver who looked just like Bob Marley popped off, helped us load our bags and we were on our way listening to Bob Marley CDs the whole ride into town.
I made it into Central London and tried to find Martha, Ellis, and their friend Marissa who is also in Rome with them because after they checked into the hostel they said that there was no way we were sleeping in there.  Everything from the bathrooms to the sheets were filthy and while they were inside someone found a key to the hostel laying on the ground outside and walked in without a problem.  It seemed really unsanitary and unsafe so we got one night's payment back and were on the hunt for a new hotel.  We walked around London searching and finally we found one and it was great!

We found a cute little English pub near our hotel after we freshened up and had some beers while we waited for Elizabeth to get into town.  When we met up with her we went out to eat dinner at this delicious burger place near our hotel.  We called it a pretty early night because we had big plans to see London the next day!

We woke up at 8:00 and were outside by 9:00 (wow!) and headed to our red double decker bus tour!  The tour took around 2 and a half hours and we saw absolutely everything!  We had a great tour guide, Peetuhh (Peter) and we learned so much!  After the tour we grabbed some lunch, some Fish and Chips!  We weren't really expecting them to be too good, but we just felt like we had to eat some while we were in London!  We were VERY pleasantly surprised when they were delicious.  I'm saying it's one of my favorite foods now.  It's just fried fish and french fries but the fried part of the fish was kind of sweet and amazing.  I want some more!!

After lunch we went to the Tower of London!  We all thought it was like one tower with the Crowned Jewels but it was so much more.
Here is the whole group in front of it (again, still camera-less so I stole some pictures from Martha, Ellis, and Marissa!)

We went inside and were able to see everything from torture techniques to the Royal Armor to our favorite, the Crowned Jewels!! We couldn't take pictures of the Jewels but we saw all of the crowns and jewelry and coronation pieces and it was all amazing!  We saw diamonds bigger than our hands.  I want one!! :)

Besides the Crowned Jewels, this little area was my favorite part of the Tower.  I LOVE the blue doors!

After we left the Tower of London we took a boat cruise through the Thames River which was included on our bus tour!  We rode from the Tower to Westminster Abby which was so pretty!  While we were standing there taking pictures we got goosebumps thinking that we were standing where William and Kate are getting married, where Princess Diana's funeral was, and where so many important historical events took place!  It was so surreal.

We also saw Parliament, Big Ben, and the London Eye:

Everything was so pretty!!

And eventually we made it to Buckingham Palace!  We asked two different people to take our picture in front of it and both people got only our bodies- no Palace.... Some people just don't understand.  Since there isn't a good one of us in front of it, here's just the palace:

It was kind of disappointing though because the guards weren't outside!!  Apparently from September-April there is only a Changing of the Guards every other day.  Although that was kind of a letdown the palace itself was so cool!  750 rooms, so much history, Prince William, all of that inside!  Sooo incredible.  

We had dinner at a restaurant called Garfunkel's and it was delicious!  We really took advantage of all of the English speaking there since we all live in countries where we have to speak a different language to get around.  And we loved that the waiters came and checked on us during our meals!  We haven't had that for a while.  It was such a comforting trip.  I think we all really needed it.  It was so easy to communicate and there were so many American things there... I already mentioned Diet Coke but they also had REESES!!!  We found them and all bought two packs of three Reeses Cups...and ate them within the hour.  I've missed Reeses.  

After dinner we decided to find Abbey Road and take a Beatles picture!  It was night time but we got a decent picture after trying for about 20 minutes and dodging traffic

So, in conclusion I am moving to London after college.  OK OK maybe not but I am definitely going back to London and soon!!  

Now I am back in Barcelona and we didn't have class today!  I have gotten so much done today which is great because I'm usually so unproductive here!  

I don't have any travel plans until our Spring Break at the end of April when we're going to Greece so I will be enjoying Barcelona for the next four weekends and I'm really excited!  There are still so many things that I want to do and see here and now's my time.  I'm going to try to get a new camera soon so hopefully by my next post I will use my own pictures.  

I hope everyone is doing well! I miss all of y'all!  It's Greek Week at Wofford so on top of all of the NCAA madness, there's so many greek activities going on, so I have to say 

GO KD!!!

Off to study now!

Adios!

When in Rome

So it's about 2:30 AM over here and I can't sleep because Wofford is about to play the College of Charleston in the Southern Conference championship game to try to make it to the NCAA playoffs for the second year!!!  Such an important game that I'm going to follow online... I don't think I can watch it online but I can listen to it I think or at least get score updates!  So lucky for me I don't have class until 3:45 tomorrow so I can sleep all day tomorrow if I need to :)

GO TERRIERS!!!!!


So this past weekend I went to ROME!  Martha and Ellis are studying there this semester and Elizabeth, Claire, Virginia, and Sara all came too and we had such a good weekend.  I was the last to arrive because everyone else could go Thursday but I didn't get there until Friday afternoon.  Martha and Ellis were on a field trip but Sara and Elizabeth came and picked me up from the train station after I left the airport.  It was so good to see them!  We met up with Claire and Virginia and since I hadn't eaten lunch yet (it was about 4:00-yikes!) we went to a restaurant where I had my first real Italian pizza and we had a few glasses of wine.  Martha and Ellis met us there- it was the first time I had seen them since we left so it was very exciting!!  We headed back to our hotel which was conveniently on the first floor of Martha and Ellis' apartment and freshened up a little bit, went to the grocery store to get some more wine, and got ready for the night.  We just hung out at their apartment for a while which was so nice since I live in a homestay and cannot just hang out with friends whenever I want.  After lots of bread dipped in olive oil, wine, and of course some singing to our favorite songs, we went to Martha and Ellis' favorite restaurant.  I had this amazing lemon linguine... I have been craving it since then and I'll probably never have it again...or at least not that good!!  It's killing me haha.  We stayed really late at the restaurant and just enjoyed all being together.  After having some post-dinner gelato we decided it was best to head home and get ready for a day of sightseeing the next day.

Saturday we got up (relatively) early and set out.  Our first stop was the Colosseum. WOW.  It was so incredible.  Since my camera was stolen last week I had to steal some of Martha and Sara's pictures off of facebook because y'all have GOT to see them.  So I don't take credit for these!
















Don't forget- if you click on the photos they get bigger and it's easier to see!
No big deal...we're just hanging out in front of the Colosseum...  This was so cool!  We went inside and it was even more incredible.  HOW did the Romans do this?? They didn't have bulldozers or cranes or anything.  I don't understand... I'm just amazed.
Inside we walked right by where Caesar would have sat to watch the day's festivities.  We had some strange encounters with some people inside including a group of Asian boys asking us to take pictures with them

We're thinking they were on some sort of photo scavenger hunt based on the "2:00" sign he was carrying around...but honestly who knows!

After the Colosseum we made the trek over to the Vatican!  Talk about surreal.  I have seen pictures of it obviously but being inside of it was so intense.  It was so beautiful and I was able to see everything I have seen pictures of in person like Michelangelo's Pieta.  The detail all over the church from the ceiling to the paintings...just everything... was so beautiful.  I cannot even try to explain.

Here's the group in front of the Vatican:

Our photographer we found outside clearly was not a professional... at least he got all of us AND the Vatican!
After the Vatican we went and got the most delicious gelato I've had in Europe... wow!... and then tried to go to the Sistine Chapel but we got there just a few minutes too late and it was closed.  By this time we were pretty tired so we headed back to the apartment/hotel and Virginia who is studying in Florence and is taking a cooking class made us some Bruschetta which was delicious before we made supper- salad, pesto pasta and grilled chicken!  Eating in was so nice.  After dinner we went to a chocolate shot bar which was really cool-the shot glasses were made of chocolate so you put the whole thing in your mouth at once and it was delicious!  Then we made our way to the Trevi Fountain with a couple bottles of wine.  At the fountain it is tradition to throw coins into the fountain over your shoulder for good luck with love.  Our motto was "everything but bills, cards, and passports are a go"  So nobody had any coins by the end if you can imagine...
Here's the whole group at the beautiful fountain and then Elizabeth, Martha, and I tossing our coins:

The next day, Sara, Elizabeth, and Claire all had to catch flights pretty early in the morning but mine didn't leave until 9:00 PM so I was able to stay for most of the day with Martha and Ellis!  We did a little exploring and planning for travels.  Eventually I left Rome for the airport.  Our flight was delayed for an hour and I don't know what I would have done if I didn't meet two other students studying in Barcelona this semester waiting to go back.  We hung out for a few hours in the airport and on the plane.  It was great to meet them and like I said I don't know what I would have done without them.  My phone was dead so I couldn't check facebook or anything and the airport was shut down so I couldn't even buy a water if I wanted to.  So FINALLY I made it home in Barcelona and slept for a long time since I didn't have class today because of a Bank Holiday!

Anyway, the Wofford game is starting so I will leave you now, but I'm getting ready for LONDON on Friday!!! I seriously cannot explain how excited I am about it!!!

GO TERRIERS!!!
Adios :)

What a Week

Last weekend, my friend Sara came to Barcelona!  She got in around lunch time so the first thing we did was meet up with McCauley and head down to the beach.  It was a beautiful day and I actually got a little sunburned on my face!  We ate lunch at a restaurant right by the beach and got a big jar of Sangria for the three of us to enjoy.  We walked around a little bit more and then decided to head back, take a siesta, and get ready for the night.  We found Sara's hostel which was actually very close to our homestay and went back to get ready.  We met back up to go to the Magic Fountain Light Show that we went to a couple of weeks ago but this time the music wasn't quite as good so it was a little bit disappointing, but still cool to see all the pretty lights!  Then we headed to a restaurant for dinner and went and found a couple of bottles of champagne to enjoy by the port before we went to a few bars down by the water.

The next afternoon we went to Milk, a restaurant that Molly recommended to us, which is like a typical American brunch restaurant.  It was amazing- pancakes, omelets, eggs benedict... everything was so good!  Then we decided to go show Sara Park Guell.  I had been before, but if you remember, they were filming a music video there on our last trip so it was nice to be able to see it in a normal way!  The park is so pretty- everything from Gaudi's bench and entrance to the path walking up to the top.  
After Park Guell, we explored the Diagonal area....where we actually ended up spending a lot of time.  Diagonal is a street that runs all the way through Barcelona, pretty much from one side to the other.  We started off near Passieg de Gracia and walked until we found a Metro station to get back, thinking there would be plenty along the way since we were pretty exhausted.  But it wasn't until 45 minutes later that we finally found one!  So needless to say we had about had it with walking for the day and went back for Siestas and to get ready for the night.
We went to this really good restaurant called Tapa Tapa Saturday night and just ordered all sorts of Tapas for dinner.  Then we went to one of our favorite bars, Dow Jones, for a while.  We let the stock market crash a few times and took advantage of the cheap drinks when it did.    We stayed there for a while and then went to find another bar, Chupitos,  but when we got there it was closed.  So we just decided to walk by the port for a bit until we decided it was bedtime :)
Sara had to leave the next morning so we said our goodbyes and headed our separate ways.

Monday night, I had my first bad experience in Barcelona.  I really just wanted some quiet time for myself so I went to a cafe near where we live to do some studying.  I found a table upstairs where there wasn't another person around and I knocked out a good two hours worth of studying.  When I got up to leave, however, my purse was gone.  I had it under my chair under my feet and there was nobody else upstairs!  I guess, though, that I did have my back to the door and someone must have snuck up behind me and just grabbed it and run.  It had my wallet (with no money though- I was going to the ATM after I left, thank goodness), my passport, my camera, and my Euro-phone.  So I had to go to the police station, file a report, and pray that someone turns it in.  Since I didn't have any money in my wallet there is a chance that the thief threw it in the bushes or something but that's definitely wishful thinking.  So for now, all of my cards are cancelled so they cannot be used.  I went to the US Consulate's office Tuesday morning and got an "emergency passport" so that I can still go to Rome this weekend but everything is so frustrating.  And remember that I'm in Spain (!!) so I had to file the police report and figure out where the Consulate is all in Spanish.  Honestly I have never been so happy to see an American flag as I was when I found the Consulate building.  So I definitely learned a lesson through all of this.  Even when you think you're being careful, be more careful.  I did as I had been told and put my bag under my seat, not beside it and although it wasn't between my feet I thought it was pretty safe... But these pickpocketers are just too good here.  So you better believe that I will never take my bag off of my body again, whether I'm eating at a restaurant or wherever I may be.  This was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life and I hope nobody else has to deal with something like this!
Anyway, like I said I can still go to Rome this weekend and I am SO excited!  I haven't seen Martha or Ellis since December and I finally get to see them again!!!  Elizabeth, Claire, Virginia, and Sara will be there too so I am really excited to see everyone and of course to stuff my face with pizza and pasta for the entire weekend!  I just won't have a camera to take pictures with :(
I hope everyone else has a great weekend and I can't wait to let you know about Rome!!
Adios!

Long Weekend- Barcelona and Brussels

We had this past Thursday and Friday off from classes which was awesome!  On Thursday, Amy and I did a little exploring of the Diagonal area of Barcelona which was cool but it was a little bit rainy that day.  We found a lot of new stores, restaurants, etc. and we found this DELICIOUS cupcake shop so we stopped and got some red velvet cupcakes and a cafe con leche.  It was so so good.  Here are a few sights we saw along the way...

They almost had it right...just one more T!

So normal...

Thursday night, Amy and I decided to try out Dow Jones Bar and it was so much fun!  This bar, like the name suggests, is stock market themed.  When you walk in there are pictures of America on the walls, a Statue of Liberty in the corner, and information about the stock market on the walls.  There are computer screens at the bar with the lists of all the drinks and their prices.  The more popular the drinks are, the higher the prices.  Every hour or so the "Stock Market Crashes" and drinks are half price!  It is such a great idea and it was so much fun.  We made pretty good friends with the bartenders, especially after they played all of my favorite songs.  They started playing two songs from Grease (my FAVORITE movie) and then they played Time of My Life from Dirty Dancing (my OTHER favorite movie) and then they played a little Backstreet Boys, N*Sync, Britney Spears, Hakuna Matata ( I love any and all Disney Songs), some Hanson, Beach Boys... I could go on and on... but I seriously felt like they stole my iPod and were playing it over the speakers.  It was absolute perfection and so much fun!  We had a fairly late night and I had to wake up the next morning and catch a flight...

So Friday I woke up and headed to the airport for my trip to Brussels, Belgium!  It was my first time flying by myself- so exciting- and I actually really liked it!  I have taken the same airline, Vueling, the past two times I have flown and both times I had the entire row of 3 seats to myself!!  It was sooo nice.  There were no random people sitting next to me, I could stretch my legs, do whatever I wanted!  I have really lucked out.  So I got to Brussels and my friend David was at the airport to pick me up!  It was so good to see him.  We spent the rest of Friday walking around and he showed me all over Brussels.  It is such an interesting city.  The architecture was a lot different than other places I have seen but it was so pretty.

Brussels is known for their Fries, waffles, chocolate, and beer- all of which are delicious!  We went to several unique bars and restaurants while I was there.  It was such a neat city, just really cold!

On Saturday we walked around a little bit more, saw some more buildings, parks, monuments, and ate lunch at the most delicious pita restaurant I've ever been to.  Then we went to see Atomium which is this gigantic atom shaped thing.  They made it for the World's Fair a long time ago and brought it back to Brussels.

 Clearly it is this huge statue thing and it attracts quite the crowd. haha.
It was a really cool trip and I loved being able to catch up with David in Europe!
I flew back Sunday morning to Barcelona.  I wasn't as lucky on my flight back- I had two Italian boys who smelled pretty bad sitting next to me.  But I got back to the Barcelona Airport and stepped outside to beautiful Barcelona weather- sunny and warm!
Last night was quite the night at the homestay.  At about 8:00 Laia and Nil (the 7 and 9 year old children) came in and told Amy and I that we were going out to have dinner at a restaurant.  I was so excited because it was so early for dinner and that we were going out!!  So I put on my jacket and followed Laia to the door...to the living room...where she had a "restaurant" set up and where she was the waitress.  So we ordered our food and she brought me a plastic hot dog, a plastic tomato, and a plastic egg.  My three least favorite foods ever- real or plastic.  So much for an early dinner....or even a real dinner!  So finally around 10:30 we had REAL dinner... and then Laia made us another plastic dinner after that (yes that's three dinners in one night... wow).  This time she went all out and set the table with flower shaped napkins (toilet paper) and made us place cards.  Thought y'all might get a kick out of mine.

Yep, that's me- Jarlet!  Actually, she came closer than most other people.  When my teachers read my name off the roll it's usually pronounced something like "Char-LOTE" and the Ch is definitely not pronounced like "Sh" like in Charlotte... so like Ch in chocolate and a long O in the LOTE.  I never realized how difficult my name was!  haha.  Anyway, after our third dinner it was about bed time.

I woke up this morning at 10:00 to an email from my Spanish teacher saying that he was sick and our class was cancelled!  And I already had another class cancelled later in the day!  So it's now 5:00 PM and I'm about to go to my first and last class at 5:30.  It was another beautiful day so I was happy to have so much extra time to myself!  I got in an early morning workout and got a project finished up, so it was a productive day. Oh and I also just ordered my Justin Bieber tickets!!! He'll be in Barcelona a few days after my birthday so it's an early birthday present to myself!!  And I am SOOOOO EXCITED!!
This weekend, Sara is coming to visit from Madrid and I can't wait to see her again!  I have so much I want to show her in Barcelona so I'll have to choose which ones are most important because there's so much to do in just one weekend.
I hope everyone has a great week, wherever you are! And until next time,
Adios!